


It's Not Always With A Ring

by boiling_pasta



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/M, Fluff, Gloves, Marriage Proposal, idk how to tag but i'll just update it, implied cuddles after sex, medieval times, mentions of bed sharing, proposal with a fruit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28259145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boiling_pasta/pseuds/boiling_pasta
Summary: How to propose in different traditions(I looked up a few ways of how people would propose or consider a proposal.)Disclaimer: characters belong to Hajime Isayama
Relationships: Reiner Braun & Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss, Reiner Braun/Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss
Comments: 16
Kudos: 29





	1. Apple

**Author's Note:**

> In Ancient Greece, throwing an apple at a woman is considered a declaration of love. All the better if she actually catches it.

The training camp isn't exactly a fancy resort housing a few hundred recruits. Most of the time, a handful of them are assigned tasks to keep the place in order. But not all tasks are menial ones and some were lucky enough to be assigned in groups to get the job done quicker. Sometimes the officers would take advantage of the cadets and have them run errands for them. Unfortunately for Reiner, he happened to pass by one of his superiors who cleared his tasks for the day and instead made him run an errand for them.

He stared at the piece of paper given to him. It was a short list of food supplies that was obviously not for the cadets. The officer then gave him some money before sending him on his way.

He quickened his pace. The sooner he was done, the better. He took another look at the list and didn't realize he was about to collide with someone at the corner.

_"Oof!"_

The paper fell from his hands. He mumbled an apology and saw the person he bumped into was Krista.

"I'm sorry, Reiner. I didn't see you," she muttered while picking up the paper.

"Uh no, actually... I'm sorry," he managed.

"Oh, you're going to the market?" she asked after a quick look on the paper.

"Yeah. I have an errand to do."

"Do you need some help? I'm free."

He felt a tinge of pink rush to his cheeks. "Uh... sure. You can tag along," he said trying to sound cool. He instantly regrets it and winces to himself. But she didn't seem to mind and was even excited to go.

* * *

The market place was as busy as one might expect. The two cadets walked around looking almost out of place in their assigned uniforms. She seemed so thrilled as she looked around with a sparkle in her eyes. Reiner doesn't leave it unnoticed.

The first item on the list was a bushel of red apples. Reiner was about to take a few when Krista stopped him.

"You're supposed to check if they're good, you know. Like this..."

She gently took the apple from his hands and demonstrated how.

"You can tell it's good when it feels nice and firm. Or if it doesn't bruise easily when you press it with your finger."

Krista held the apple as she explained. He was unsure why he was so impressed with her knowledge of apples but he was certain their proximity was turning his cheeks into the shade of the apple.

"You can also sniff it. A good apple shouldn't smell like it's rotting." She held the fruit close to his face and he took a whiff. At this point, he prays she doesn't see the similarity in color between his face and the apple. "Smells good to me," he comments. She smiles and hands it to him before moving on to the next one.

They continued on, crossing every item on the list one by one. She was so considerate of the purchase even though it wasn't for them. He watched as she would put her index finger on her chin, looking over which of the blocks of cheese seemed worthy or which of the vegetables was the freshest. He chuckles to himself.

"You really know a lot about this stuff," he said as they walked to another stall.

Krista turned to him. "Oh, I grew up in a farm and I helped around a lot."

Her short answer gave him a hint that he shouldn't pry more about her life. He was curious though, if she did well as a simple farm girl, what prompted her into joining the military?

His thoughts were interrupted by the grumbling sound of a hungry stomach. He looks at Krista and her cheeks has rather turned to a shade of pink.

"Uh..."

"Sorry. I guess I'm a little hungry," she admitted, slightly embarrassed.

They made it back near lunchtime and though he was annoyed at first for running someone's errand, Reiner felt a little grateful for the chance to spend time with her.

"Thank you for letting me come with you, Reiner," she said as she handed him some of the bags she offered to carry. "We rarely ever leave the camp just to go out and be... like regular people."

"What? You had some free time and you decided to spend it by teaching me how to choose some good apples. I should be the one thanking you. You really helped me out there." A boyish grin crosses his face.

Krista chuckled. "I'll see you at the mess hall, Reiner." She turns to leave after a little wave.

But Reiner knew a little something about apples too. He used to hear about this unique tradition back in Marley where throwing an apple at a girl is considered a marriage proposal. At the time, it sounded so ridiculous to him.

"Wait, Krista..."

She turned around and caught an apple that he threw at her. She was surprised and mildly confused. On his part, he realized she didn't know about the apple proposal. But maybe she'll consider it as a thank you for earlier. He figured he can make an excuse if the officer ever notices a missing apple.

"Don't worry, it's a good one."

Reiner walked away, wondering if she will ever know. Unbeknownst to him, she wondered about the same thing too.


	2. Gloves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is more like a combination of two traditions.
> 
> In medieval times, some articles of clothing such as gloves and ribbons are considered as love tokens and often worn by knights who proudly display it before a joust. Think of it as like a lucky charm.  
> In England (Victorian times, I think), gentlemen would send their ladies a pair of gloves and if she wears them to Sunday church, it indicated that they have accepted their gentleman's proposal.
> 
> (forgive me if these are actually historically inaccurate)

_'tis a glove that fits perfectly_  
_For the hand I hold so dearly_  
  
Historia stared at the unopened parcel on her desk. The note was handwritten in the same familiar penmanship she knew. With careful hands, she unwrapped it and was presented with a pair of wrist-length gloves made from fine white wool. A pink bow delicately sits at the cuff. Her lips curl into a smile as she tried it on. As the note implied, the gloves fit her slender hands perfectly.

  
Reiner had been away on a mission somewhere far north. They had spent the night together before he took off. For all the intimacy they shared that night, he was especially fond of the way she removed the silk ribbon keeping her hair together and just letting it cascade down. He remembers the beautiful shade her eyes were in candlelighta sight he has seen many times but he never fails to gaze at her with so much adoration. Even when he hesitantly left her side at dawn, he never fails to take one last look at her sleeping form, recapping every sensation from the previous night, as if searing it to memory, before closing the door behind him.

  
Upon the King's return a week later, a large banquet was held to celebrate their victories and honor the heroic deeds of his soldiers. Historia found herself amidst all the merriment. People were dancing here and there; the smell of smoked meats filled the air; she can hear the clunking of tankards filled to the brim with alcohol. Some soldiers even acknowledged her presence. But her eyes wandered through the crowd in search of a pale blond knight.

  
To her disappointment, he was nowhere to be found. But she had an idea where he could be.

  
Fortunately, she was able to slip away unnoticed. She headed out to the balcony and found Reiner by himself with nothing but a half-empty tankard keeping him company. His head hung low and his eyes were glued to the ground. Sensing her close, he turned to meet her. His eyes looked weary and he uttered no word for her understanding gaze was enough.

  
Historia knew. The wars, the raids; Every time he comes home, it seemed like a part of him chips away.

  
Her coronation could not come sooner.

  
A calloused hand reaches to cup her cheek. She can feel its roughness. Realizing this, he draws his hand back, almost embarrassed. Historia sees something wrapped around his wrist. It was her silk ribbon. It looked like it has seen better days (and it has) looking almost as worn as Reiner. He had worn it on his right wrist which meant whenever he saluted, he held a piece of her close to his heart.

  
She smiles and takes his hand in hers, bringing it back to her cheek. The gloves she wore helped with the warmth he needed. But more than that, he recognized the pink bow at the cuff of the gloves. He remembers that specific detail and he knew.

  
For a moment, their eyes locked and like instinct, their lips closed the gap between them. They kissed like the last night they had spent together, slowly but ardently; like every other night they ever spent and will spend together; and like every time he leaves and comes home and she waits for him.

  
Once more, their eyes met. But this time, Historia can see in his eyes a spark that she had not seen in a long time. And Reiner sees nothing but a brighter life in hers. He squeezed her gloved hands, as if he couldn't believe she was actually wearing them, that she actually accepted. Reiner was simply over the moon.

  
He'd go to hell and back for her but she'll make it so he doesn't have to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took too long to finish because procrastination is a bitch ugh
> 
> Also, this is loosely based on my theory years ago wherein I thought Reiner, being the Armored Titan that he is, is a knight that is meant to protect Historia, who is a princess (how I came to that theory is long story and it's obviously not the case but hey, this is fanfiction anything can happen here).
> 
> One last thing, the two-line poem in the beginning of the story is just something I made up based on this poem I found while I was searching about this tradition:
> 
> "If that from glove you take the letter G, then glove is love and that I send to thee."


End file.
